Second Chances
by MsWolfGirl
Summary: Piper had a fairly ordinary life. That is, until the dead started walking again... After a sudden and unexpected meeting with the Dixon brothers, Piper and her mother and young niece find themselves fighting to survive...praying for a second chance. Daryl or ShaneXOC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer-I do not own and of The Walking Dead, I only own my OC's :) Please review! I appreciate any and all feedback!

Piper screamed as she desperately pulled her mother out of her crazed father's grasp while clinging to her crying niece with her other arm. She managed to pry his decaying fingers from her mother's arms as she yanked them into the nearby bedroom and slammed the door shut and locked it. Her mother huddled on the floor gasping for breath.

Piper quickly sat the young girl down and pulled her mother up. "Mom, help me! We have to block the door! I don't know what's wrong with dad, but he can't get in here…you saw what he did to Aiden."

She choked back a sob at the memory of her father ripping chunks of flesh from her little nephew, his sister watching in horror before Piper had found them. Her mother quickly gathered herself and helped Piper drag the heavy dresser in front of the door where they could hear the man clawing and pounding on it from the outside.

Piper's mom slid down the front of the dresser and sobbed violently, shaking at the thought of what just happened. Piper crouched in front of her mother, wiping the tears from her own eyes before checking her for injuries. Angry red lines stretched from her mother's elbow to her wrist on her right arm, not breaking the skin, but likely to leave dark bruises. Piper wrapped her arms around her mother and niece while tears poured down her cheeks as she desperately tried to withhold her sobs in the hopes that what had once been her loving father would leave them alone.

After sitting in the same spot for a little over an hour, Piper heard the main door open, squeaking as it was slowly pushed open by someone. She heard muffled voices before the man that was once her father growled and banged on the door again. Before she could react, an arrowhead speared through the door inches from the top of her head. She screamed and pulled her in-shock mother and still sobbing niece away from the door.

The muffled voices stopped and dead silence filled the room. After a moment, Piper heard slow, steady footsteps approach the door of the bedroom. Eventually a knock sounded along with a gruff voice, "Anyone in there?"

Piper looked for some sort of weapon. She remembered the pistol her mom always kept in her bedside table and quickly pulled it out. "W-Who's out there?" She shakily called. She gently pushed the little girl clinging to her leg towards her mom. Her mother was slowly bringing herself back into reality and lifted herself from the floor and walked over to where her daughter stood, holding tightly to the little girl's hand. Two voices conversed on the other side of the door for a while before a new voice grumbled through the door.

"We ain't gonna hurtcha. Why don't ya come out?" Piper did not trust that voice…it sounded dangerous. But she really didn't have an option did she? She couldn't exactly stay locked up in the bedroom with her mother and niece… There was no food there and who knows what sickness was going around that made her father go insane. She needed help.

She nodded to her mother who gave her a nervous look before helping to pull the dresser away from the door. Piper unlocked the door and slowly opened it, aiming her pistol in front of her as she slowly made her way out of the room. Two men stood several feet away from the door. The older looking of the two was a man with a crew cut that seemed to be in his forties or so with jeans and hiking boots on as well as a white wife-beater with a rifle in his hands. The other man looked to be in his early to mid-thirties by Piper's judgment, and wore dark jeans, similar hiking boots as the other man, and a cutoff flannel with a wife beater underneath. He had messy brown hair and both men had striking blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through her. The second man had a crossbow in his hands and a scowl on his face as he paced the kitchen connecting to the hallway where the other three stood.

The two men took in the terrified and disheveled appearance of the women and the little girl hiding behind them. The younger woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties, was fairly skinny, wearing dark blue jean capris and a dark purple camisole. She had no shoes on, making the men assume that they were very caught off guard by the now dead man at their feet. She had her long wavy chocolate brown hair pulled into a ponytail, with bangs wisping down into her face while her dark green eyes shot between the two with suspicion and fear. She bore a striking resemblance to the woman beside her. The older woman had dark hair that was pulled in a low messy bun at the base of her neck with almost identical eyes to the other girl. She was dressed in pale jeans, a dark green button-up tank top and was also barefoot. The little girl crowded behind the younger woman's legs. She wore a bright blue shirt with a picture of a white cat on it with little jean overalls that ended just above her knees. Her hot pink sock covered feet wiggled slightly in discomfort. Her dark brown hair went to her mid-back and her bright blue eyes looked curiously yet fearfully at the two men.

Piper watched nervously as the men stared them down and then looked at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation. They nodded at each other and turned back to Piper and the others, lowering their weapons, but not completely releasing them. She kept her weapon tight in her grasp, but lowered it, so it was no longer pointed at their faces. When the older man began to approach she whipped the gun back up and quickly backed up. He held his hands up before slowly backing up a step. "Easy there darlin'." The man said in his gravelly voice.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Piper's mother asked quietly. The man's eyes flashed to her and gave her a wicked smirk, which instantly put Piper on edge.

"Haven't ya hearda' the mess that's comin'? People're risin' from the dead and eatin' people. Can't say you din' know that though, judgin' by the man on the floor there." He pointed crudely to the women's loved one lying on the floor with a bullet in his brain.

This was the first the women had looked at him and they both began silently crying as they remembered that their family was gone. Piper collapsed to her knees and the gun slid from her hands as she covered her mouth with one hand while the other clutched at her father's arm. Her mother just stood there, still somewhat in shock as she held the small girl's hand, when the men coughed to get their attention.

The younger one was the one to speak this time. "We're headed to Georgia. S'posed to be an army base bein' built there. If ya think ya can pull yerselves together, you can come along til' we get there." Piper could tell that this was uncharacteristic for the men by the grimace on the other man's face and the hesitant way the younger one gave the offer.

"What are your names?" Piper asked softly as she looked up at them.

"Daryl. This here's my brother Merle." The younger one spoke. Piper nodded.

"Piper. My mother's name is Claudia. This is my niece Bailey." She responded as she ran a comforting hand through the young girl's hair when she came up to her, once again clinging to her. The men nodded and approached the girls.

"Go pack what'chu need and let's get movin'. Gotta lotta ground to cover and who knows how many of them things are gonna be around." Merle said. After Piper picked up Bailey, the two women rushed into the other room.

Daryl and Merle stood in the kitchen, standing at the tall island that was settled in the middle of the room. "What're we thinking little bro? Takin' in women. They'll be nuttin' but extra baggage."

Daryl shook his head. "You saw that lil' boy in the other room. These women won't stand a chance on their own. And they have that lil' girl. May be everyone for themselves out here, but it'd be a sick thing to leave'em here."

Merle nodded and began rummaging through the pantry. It was full of random canned goods. Corn, green beans, corned beef hash and more filled the lower shelves. "Hey Darylina, lookie here." Merle gestured to the full pantry and just as he was about to start pulling stuff out, the women returned from wherever they had wandered off to.

Piper had stuffed a duffel bag with a few various outfits for random weather possibilities as well as all the flashlights and batteries she could find. She also packed pictures of her family and some other probably useless things that she just couldn't leave behind. Her mother had packed about the same in a large camping backpack. Piper then made her way into Bailey's room with the little girl in tow, packing a few outfits in the little girl's small purple backpack as well as her favorite stuffed animal, a wolf she named Luna, and a children's book full of short stories. Bailey was only three, so Piper hoped that there would be enough stories to keep her entertained for a while. She then turned to Bailey as she forced a few more outfits for her in her own duffel bag.

"Sweetie, we can only take what you can carry in your backpack, so go pick out a few small things and put them in there okay?" Bailey nodded with a focused expression and started rummaging through the room she had for her visits to her grandmother's house, where they found themselves at the moment. Piper watched as the little girl found a picture of her and her parents, causing her stomach to drop. What could have happened to them? Marcus and Annie might be… She shook her head violently, shaking the image from her head. She knew that her brother Marcus was smart. He could get himself and Annie someplace safe. She just hoped that someday they would find each other again.

Piper then led her mother and Bailey into the kitchen to regroup with the men. Seeing what they were about to do, Piper nodded and walked around the corner, returning with two large plastic green bins.

"Might as well get as much food as we can. I'm going to go through Dad's gun cabinet." She trailed off sadly. "Mom, can you help him? Get whatever we can." Tears threatened to fall as she pulled her dad's gun cabinet keys from the key bowl by the door.

Daryl followed her into a living room decorated in a South Western theme, with Native American pictures on the walls and a large fireplace off to one side. A large dark wooden cabinet was against the nearby wall and Piper made quick work of the locks.

When she turned around she saw Daryl standing there with an almost sympathetic look on his face, which was quickly hidden by a scowl. She shook it off and began pulling guns out and lying them on the floor between herself and Daryl. There was a shotgun as well as a couple rifles, a crossbow that hadn't worked in years, and three pistols. She left the crossbow hanging on the inside wall of the cabinet and pulled out box after box of ammunition and arrows. Daryl was surprised at the outcome and began gathering the weapons.

Piper stopped him as he was about to pick up a small black pistol that looked as if it was very well cared for. She grabbed it from the floor and loaded it up before making sure the safety was on and sticking it in the waistband of her capris. "It's mine. A gift from my dad." Daryl didn't respond and just grabbed the rest of the ammo boxes, piling them carefully in his arms. Piper walked back into the kitchen and noticed that her mother and Merle had finished packing up the food.

After a final glance through the house, Piper pulled her duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed a bin full of food while Merle grabbed the other. Her mother was in front, leading Bailey by the hand outside where a light blue pickup truck sat with a motorcycle in the back. Piper read the license plate. 'Georgia' was printed with a peach decorating the side.

"What are you guys doing in Wisconsin if you're from Georgia?" She asked in disbelief.

"We were up north huntin' when all this shit started. Makin' our way back." Daryl answered. Piper nodded and set the box in the back of the truck along with her duffel bag. When she approached the truck, she saw that it was only a three seater and looked at the men questioningly.

Merle laughed, noticing her look. "Yeah toots, it's gonna be a tight squeeze. Not that I mind much." He smirked and waggled his eyebrows and Piper snorted.

"Don't even start that. I won't hesitate to put a bullet through your perverted brain." She said partially joking. Merle lifted his hands in surrender and pulled open the passenger door. "After you ladies." He said with a mocking bow. Piper rolled her eyes and ushered her mother in, lifting Bailey and settling her in her lap after settling in next to her mother with Daryl pulling himself in last. Merle walked around the front of the truck and pulled himself into the driver's seat, slammed his door shut and started up the truck.

Piper and her mother gave their home a sad once-over, taking in the trees that surrounded their beautiful old Victorian style home. Tears filled their eyes and they held hands tightly as Merle drove the old truck down the driveway.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer-I do not own any part of The Walking Dead, only my OC's! Please review so I know what you guys think! I will respond to reviews in the chapter after I get them! Speaking of which...

**Suzannewazhere** - Thank you so much for the nice review! I'm glad you like it! :)

**WhiteShadow21 - **I'm glad you like it so far! If you have any suggestions just send me a PM! I appreciate any help I can get! I could also use a Beta if you're interested because right now I just try to reread the chapters to find any errors and a fresh pair of eyes would be big help! :D

Well, here's the next chapter, hope you guys like it! :)

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They had been on the road for several days, driving through the night and only stopping to eat or relieve themselves a few times. They were just outside of Atlanta where this so-called army shelter was supposed to be when they hit a very large road block. People flooded the road as they talked amongst each other, trying to figure out what had happened up ahead.

The four stepped out of the truck to stretch their legs and see what was up. Piper turned and picked up her sleepy niece, settling her on her hip. "Stay close women. We getta chance ta get outta here, we're gunna take it with or without ya." Merle threw over his shoulder. Piper snorted and picked up a pebble from the road and threw it, hitting him smack in the middle of his head. He rubbed it and laughed as he continued walking. Throughout the drive, Merle and Piper had at first been at each other's throats, but quickly adjusted and began throwing sarcastic comments back and forth, while the other two more quiet passengers just watched, her mother in amusement, his brother in surprise. Little Bailey found the arguments hilarious and started repeating words that a three year old girl should never be saying, causing Claudia to terminate any further foul language for a time.

Piper and her mother saw two women a little ways ahead with two children and walked up to introduce themselves and see if they knew what was going on.

A young brunette woman with a small boy at her side saw them approach and smiled warmly at them. "Hey, you stuck too?" She asked sweetly. Piper nodded. "I'm Lori, this is my son Carl. You're welcome to wait with us if you want?" She asked. "Aww, what a doll! What's her name?" She added when she saw the shy little girl in Piper's arms.

The women smiled down at the boy and nodded to Lori. "That would be nice. We aren't from around here and we aren't exactly sure what's going on. I'm Claudia, and this is my daughter Piper, and my granddaughter Bailey." Claudia spoke softly, the first she had spoken the whole trip and her voice was weak from disuse and exhaustion.

"Well, I'm sure you've seen, but people are risin' from the dead and… it's just horrible." Lori muttered, rubbing her hand up and down her son's arm.

"Mom, can I go play with Sophia?" The boy asked, obviously not interested in the adult talk. Lori gave him a look, which he responded with puppy dog eyes. She sighed and nodded, "Stay where Carol and I can see you!" She hollered at him and he waved back at her over his shoulder. She shook her head and returned her attention to Piper and Claudia.

A tall man with dark curly hair wearing a policeman's uniform approached the three women. "Shane, this is Claudia, Piper and Bailey. They got stuck here too." Lori said to the man. He had dark brown eyes that darted to the two new women and little girl before sending them a gentle smile and holding out his hand to them.

"Shane Walsh. Nice to meet you ladies. I hate to rush off, but I just came to get Lori to go look at somethin' real quick." Piper nodded and looked over to the light blue truck she arrived in, seeing that Merle and Daryl were leaning over the hood looking at something and talking. "You're welcome to wait here til we get back." Lori said with a smile.

"Thanks, I think we'll do that." Piper replied. Shane and Lori both nodded and headed off into the woods. Not two minutes later a low rumble was heard and felt, as fighter jets soared over their heads. Before anyone could really understand what was happening, Atlanta, seen in the distance, was up in flames as explosions sounded while planes dropped napalms over the city.

Piper and Claudia clung to each other, arms wrapped tightly around Bailey as she whimpered and tucked her face into the crook of Piper's neck. Carl ran towards the vehicle they were standing by, searching for his mother. "Mom! Mom where are you?" He called desperately. Piper snatched the back of his shirt and pulled him into her side, where he clung as she held him tight.

Lori and Shane approached the vehicle at about the same time Merle and Daryl did. "What was that?" Piper cried out. Carl rushed from her side and into his mother's arms and she kissed his face and hugged him tight.

Shane didn't respond, just pulled out a megaphone from the driver's side of the police car next to him and turned it on, causing it to screech and quiet the people in the nearby area.

"Listen up people." His voice didn't carry too well amongst the cries and screams of the panicking people, but a decent amount of people turned at the sound of his voice. "We need to get somewhere safe, if they're bombin' the city, it ain't safe. Now there's a small quarry not too far back where we can set up a base and figure shit out. Anyone interested follow us out." He then turned off the megaphone and turned to Merle and Daryl, who flanked Piper and her mother, who were still terrified and clinging to each other.

"Y'all comin'? We could use people who hunt." Shane asked as he eyed the rednecks in front of him with some distaste, but hid it quickly.

The look didn't go unnoticed by either redneck, but just as Daryl was about to send a rude remark to the man, Merle cut in. "That sounds mighty nice officer. I think we'll take you up on that." Shane nodded hesitantly and turned to Piper, Bailey and Claudia. "You ladies need a ride?" He eyed behind them to the Dixons, causing Piper to flinch at his unsaid insinuation.

"No thank you. We'll ride with Merle and Daryl." She said confidently, causing the man to eye her curiously before shrugging his shoulders.

"A'right, your call. Let's get movin'" And with that, people began flooding back to their vehicles, following Shane's car to the quarry, where they hoped it would be a safe place to get their bearings.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! I'll start uploading a little bit slower, but I thought that I would post a few chapters to start with to see how you feel about it! Please leave me some feedback so I know whether or not you guys want me to keep updating! Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer- I don't own The Walking Dead!**

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As they arrived at the quarry, they followed a narrow path up to a clearing large enough to fit the people who gathered themselves. An older man with a large RV pulled the vehicle up into where they were going to set up camp, offering the top to be used as a lookout area.

Piper stayed in the truck with her mom and niece, taking in the sights while the rest of the people set up camp. Merle came up to the open window and roughly knocked into her shoulder with his fist. "Quit daydreamin' and come set up a tent like a good broad." He joked, receiving a half-hearted glare in return, but Piper did step out of the truck, lowering her now sleeping mother across the seat carefully and setting Bailey on the ground.

When she saw Merle about to wake her mother up, Piper swatted his hand away. "Let her sleep. She handled…everything worse than us. She hasn't slept in a long time." She said sadly. Merle scoffed, but walked away, pointing at the truck bed from over his shoulder. "Set up yer tent bitch." She rolled her eyes and pulled the tent out of the back of the truck with Bailey at her heels. She looked over and saw Daryl setting up a similar tent a few yards away. The Dixon campsite was set a ways away from the main camp and Piper was torn as to where to set up the tent. She decided to settle it a few yards from Daryl's tent and she began putting poles together and pressing stakes into the ground.

After multiple failed attempts, and many laughs from Merle and squealing giggles from Bailey, Daryl finally grumbled and ripped the poles from Piper's hands as he made quick work of setting up the tent. Piper flushed red with embarrassment and thanked him quietly. He snorted and returned to the campfire, where he was cleaning one of his knives. Shane then walked up to the small separate campsite, and Merle and Daryl both tensed subtly, not going unmissed by Piper.

"Y'all set up over here?" He asked. Piper nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. He nodded and asked if he could help them with anything. Piper spoke up before either of the Dixon's could cut in with a rude remark.

"Actually, do you think you could get my mom out of the truck and put her in the tent? I don't think I'll be able to get her out without waking her and I definitely can't carry her all the way over here." She chuckled. Shane snorted with amusement and nodded, making his way over to the Dixon's truck.

Merle walked up and roughly grabbed her arm, not enough to hurt her, but enough to get her attention. "What'chu doin' lettin' him into my truck?" He asked harshly.

"Relax Merle, you're shit is in your tent. I'm trying to give him a chance to look in the truck and see that you guys didn't kidnap us." Piper replied nonchalantly, "You can't tell me you haven't noticed him watching us like a hawk?" When Merle returned his glare to the policeman, who was now slowly removing the sleeping woman from the truck, he let out a huff and returned to his seat by their fire.

Shane approached with Claudia in his arms and gave Piper a questioning glance. She rose from her seat and gestured to the large blue tent where she and her mother would be staying. She walked ahead of him and unzipped the flap and pulled it away. He bent over slightly and walked in, careful not to rouse the woman in his arms. He laid her down on the dark green sleeping bag settled on the left side of the tent and turned to make his way out. When he reappeared outside the tent he gave the Dixon's a calculating look before nodding and turning back to Piper.

"You ladies need anything jus' lemme know." Piper smiled and thanked him as he made his way back to the main camp.

"See Merle? No big deal. The big bad scary policeman didn't find your stash." Piper smirked over at Merle and he let out a loud booming laugh.

"Baby brother, this was a good call. I like these girls!" Daryl just shook his head and returned to cleaning his arsenal of arrows and knives while Bailey sat beside him while she played with her toy wolf.

Later that evening, the majority of the survivors were gathered around the main fire, preparing to eat the beans and squirrel that had been cooked. Piper, Bailey and Claudia sat with the main group, not wanting to be alone after the Dixon's went out into the woods to hunt. Piper sat with Bailey in her lap between her mother and a large black man. On her mother's other side sat Lori, Carl and Shane.

There wasn't much conversation that night. The memories of the burning city they had all seen earlier that day still burned images inside their heads. The few children that were at the camp huddled close to their parents and families stuck close together around the fire. After they were done eating, Piper, Bailey and Claudia returned to their tent for the night. Bailey quickly fell asleep on Piper's left side while her mother lay on her right. Images of the day their world went to hell flooded their memories, and the two women squeezed each other's hands as they wept for their lost family. Piper's father Dean, her little nephew Aiden. Sadness and grief overtook them. They ended up crying themselves to sleep that night.

The overwhelming heat was what woke Piper the next morning. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, pulled her messy hair into a ponytail and took out a change of clothes for the day. She put on a pair of cutoff jean shorts that went to mid-thigh and a dark green tank top. She slid her feet into the tennis shoes she had packed up and made her way out to the small camp the Dixon's made up the night before, where she saw her niece sitting in a certain foul-mouthed redneck's lap, wearing the same overalls she had been the day before, but now with a bright green plain t-shirt underneath with her little Velcro sneakers. Her hair was damp and braided, suggesting that someone had given the girl a bath.

"'Mornin' darling'. Didn't think you was ever gonna wake up." Merle said as he lightly bounced the little girl on his knee, causing her to emit peals of laughter. Piper, still not fully awake, flipped him the bird before letting out a large yawn and plopping down on a log by the now extinguished fire. Before she could relax though, her mother walked up from the main camp with a tin mug filled with a steaming liquid that smelled an awful lot like coffee.

Piper immediately perked up and sent the cup of coffee a longing look. Claudia laughed and handed her the mug, which Piper eagerly accepted. After taking a few sips, she took in her mother's appearance. Her hair was wet and pulled up in a messy bun and she wore a navy blue t-shirt and knee length khaki capris along with her red sneakers.

"Oh my god mom, you're a life saver!" She thanked her mom profusely, to which she received a laugh in response.

"I'm your mother honey, it's a part of my job." Piper smiled at her and then looked around camp. The women were collecting laundry while most of the men made themselves busy cleaning guns and walking perimeters and other necessary tasks. The only person that didn't partake in any activities was a man that Piper learned was named Ed Peletier.

Piper wasn't one to judge people before she knew them, but she knew that this man was foul. She had seen the bruises on his wife Carol's arms and his daughter was withdrawn and scared whenever he was around. Piper had a soft spot for children and seeing this poor little girl so scared all the time sent a rage through her that she could hardly control.

Yesterday, she had seen Ed raise his hand to his daughter and she yelled out to the little girl and gestured her over to both get her attention and let Ed know that he was being watched. With a nervous glance back to her father, who glared at her, but nodded once, the little girl bolted to Piper's side and she ran a gentle hand through the young girl's hair and told her to go play with Carl and the Morales' children. She gave a grateful smile and nodded before taking off to play with the kids. Piper looked over to see Ed sending her a hateful glare, which she returned full force. Just as he was getting ready to head over to her though, Piper heard footsteps approaching and when she turned around she saw that she was quickly being flanked by the Dixons, who sent Ed a daring glare, to which he responded by spitting on the ground and skulking back to his tent.

"Ya need ta learn to mind yer own business girl. Gonna get yerself into sumtin' you can't handle." Merle said seriously as he tightened his grip on Bailey and narrowed his eyes at Ed's retreating form.

Piper snorted and perched her hands on her hips. "Please. Men like that don't scare me. They need to be put in their place. Asshole thinks he can get away with hurting Carol and little Sophia." She was beginning to rant when a hand smacked the back of her head, causing her to squeal a little indignantly and rub the spot with her hand. She turned to glare at the perpetrator to find Daryl sending her a chiding, yet amused look.

"Don't bite off more than ya can chew." Was the only thing he said to her before walking off to their little camp.

Things continued this way for several days. Piper and Claudia spent some time with the main group, getting to know people every day. Bailey, being the little social butterfly that she was, won everyone over as soon as they met her, but she took a particular liking to both of the Dixon's and Sophia as well as Shane. Piper bonded well with just about everyone, but Andrea and Amy were both around Piper's age, give or take a few years, and they found themselves nearly inseparable. The two younger girls brought out the youth and adventure in Andrea and she found herself happier than she had been in quite a while. Of course being close to the two sisters meant that Piper frequently found herself in Dale's company as well, which was perfectly fine with her because the sweet old man reminded her so much of her grandfather, and he was absolutely wonderful with Bailey. Always telling them about nature and trying to bring out joy and meaning in everything they did, and telling Bailey stories that kept the avid attention of the somewhat spacey three year old.

Andrea would get slightly exasperated with the old man, but Piper found it refreshing to know that someone was trying to take care of them, and while she knew that everyone in the group protected each other, it was nice to have people to get close to.

Claudia found herself bonding very strongly with the other mothers in camp, Lori, Carol and Miranda as well as a kind mother-like black woman named Jacqui. They would swap stories about their children and other womanly things while folding and washing laundry or preparing the dinner for the night. Their laughs at their inside jokes rung throughout the camp, lightening the mood considerably on even the dreary days.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Here's chapter 4! Please leave me a review so I know if there's any interest in this story! I still have a few chapters all ready to post so please let me know what you think! thanks and enjoy!**

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After some time at the quarry and many successful scavenging trips completed by Glenn, the small Asian boy, Shane decided to risk sending out a group to hopefully find more things to bring back and get a feel for what was happening in the city while keeping each other safe. Glenn was highly opposed to the idea, but wasn't confident enough to put up much of a fight.

The group that ended up going was made up of Glenn, T-dog, as well as the man everyone knew as Morales, Jacqui, Merle and Andrea. Piper was not happy when she heard that Merle and Andrea were going. She knew the reasons for both, and while she understood that Andrea wanted to find a gift for Amy's birthday coming up, she still didn't think that her going to risk her life for a birthday present was a very sound plan. Dale seconded her opinion vehemently, but Andrea would not be swayed. As for Merle, Piper was not the least bit amused when she discovered his reason for going.

"Sorry darlin', my stash is runnin' low and I need to resupply." Merle told her as he loaded his rifle and packed his small bag with extra ammo and a bottle of water.

Piper stopped her nervous pacing and just stared at him. "Drugs? You're going into a city filled with dead things walking around eating people because you're out of DRUGS?!" She flailed her arms as she began shouting profanities at the man, causing Daryl to smirk despite his misgivings about his brother going to Atlanta without him. Bailey was tucked into his side, and whimpered slightly when she heard that Merle was leaving. She thought he wasn't going to come back for her and she flung herself at him and clutched his leg, holding on with everything she had.

"Don't go Mr. Merle. Pwease." Her bottom lip quivered as she looked at him pleadingly. Merle patted her head and gently removed her from his leg.

"Now listen here munchkin, Ol' Merle won't be gone fer more'n a few days, and I'll come back with a nice present for ya if'n yer real good while's I'm gone a'right?" The little girl's eyes brightened at the mention of a present and she nodded her head vigorously. Merle chuckled and shooed the little girl off, watching as she made her way to her grandmother, who was doing laundry with the other women.

Daryl then stood and offered to go as well, but Merle brushed him off, saying he needed to stay and feed the helpless lambs that made up their group. Daryl just huffed and gave a 'whatever' before heading out for his hunt.

When the group was ready to leave, goodbyes were said and they left to make their way to the city. With their partner in crime gone, Amy and Piper sulked around camp, helping with laundry and cooking, but spending a good amount of time near the radio, hoping to hear from their friends so they knew they were alright. Bailey floated around camp, sometimes playing with the other kids, but they were mostly too old to really let her get involved in their games. She spent a lot of time with Dale as well. The man reminded her of her grandfather on her mother's side, always telling stories with that kind smile.

More than once, Shane had shooed the girls away in the hopes of them finding something to do, as the anxious girls were beginning to get on his nerves.

There was one time where a man's voice came over the radio, saying he was heading into the city and if anyone could hear him, to please respond. Amy yelled for Shane, who tried to get a hold of the man, but the man never replied.

Two days came and went slowly before they heard anything from the group, and what they did hear was not reassuring. T-dog's voice came from through the speaker. "Dale? Dale, can you hear me? We're tr-…. roof, can- get out." His voice crackled and cut out and Shane slammed the speaker with his fist.

Amy began to panic and she rushed up to Shane, begging him to go find her sister. Shane shook his head.

"She's gone. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do for her now. We can't lose any more people." Amy sent him a fierce glare before she snapped at him.

"That's my sister you son of a bitch." She stormed away back towards the tents and Piper followed with a confused and nervous Bailey in tow, rubbing the distraught girl's back comfortingly with her free hand. Claudia walked up to the girls and offered them both a water bottle and a kind smile. The girls thanked her and Claudia squeezed their shoulders comfortingly before returning to Lori and Carol to continue laundry.

The day passed by agonizingly slow. Amy continued to pace and worry while Piper tried in vain to comfort her. After hours of waiting and worrying, a loud blaring horn was heard, and to Piper it sounded like a car alarm. Everyone began crowding the RV, trying to ask Dale what was going on.

Shane yelled over the mob of voices, "Talk to me Dale, what's goin' on?" Piper pressed her niece into her side as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Dale was searching through the binoculars and shook his head slightly before he responded. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was a stolen car." Dale was right, not even a minute after he said that, a bright red sports car pulled up behind the RV and a very smug looking Glenn hopped out of the car. At least he was smug until Amy began harassing him about Andrea and the other family members of the Atlanta scavenger hunt crew began badgering him as well.

Glenn threw up his hands in surrender, saying "Everyone's fine! We're all fine! Well, except for Merle…" His voice quieted at the end and Piper's heart sunk.

"What happened to him?" She asked quietly. A new man approached her with a sorrowful expression on his face. Just as he was about to speak, a loud gasp came from behind Piper.

She turned to see what was the matter, and she saw Lori covering her mouth with her hands, tears flowing down her cheeks while Carl yelled out "Dad!" before bolting forward. Piper turned back to the man and saw tears running down his face as he ran forward and caught Carl in a tight embrace, lowering them to the ground. Lori ran up and hugged them both, kissing the man fiercely and running her hands over his head and face, as if figuring out whether or not he was really there.

Claudia was upset that Merle wasn't there. Despite his rough tendencies, he and Daryl had taken very good care of herself and Piper and Bailey, and she was very grateful. However she couldn't help but smile at the family reunion they were witnessing. Jacqui walked up next to her and quietly whispered to her. "That must be her long lost husband." Claudia smiled and nodded before turning to Piper.

She saw the sadness in her eyes and knew that her daughter was going to take Merle's disappearance hard. Claudia sent a glance over the whole camp. She saw the Morales family reuniting, the children climbing into the man's lap while Miranda kissed his cheek and embraced them all. Glenn and T-Dog were talking to Dale, who had an upset look on his face. When she turned back towards her daughter, her eye caught Shane staring at the Grimes family. She couldn't figure out what the look meant, but she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped a little at the contact but gave her a smile.

"Is everything okay Shane?" She asked him. He looked forward again thoughtfully for a while before he replied.

"Yeah, everything is… everything's great. I never expected to see my best friend again. I'm just…in shock." Claudia nodded in understanding and squeezed his shoulder before making her way back over to Jacqui.

Piper was still wondering about Merle, but when she turned around to give the reuniting family some semblance of privacy, she saw Andrea hugging and comforting Amy, so she rushed up and hugged her friend.

"We were so worried about you guys! Do you have any idea what was going through our heads when we heard T-Dog through that radio?" Amy spouted as she lightly shoved her sister's shoulder. Andrea just laughed a little and squeezed her shoulder.

Despite being happy that her friend had returned unscathed, Piper still wanted to know what happened to Merle. She nudged Bailey with her hand, telling her to go play, but stay near the adults. After the little girl nodded and Piper saw her walk up to Shane, she walked up to Glenn, figuring he'd be the easiest one to talk to, and was currently the only one not reuniting with loved ones.

"Hey Glenn, can I talk to you for a minute?" She wrapped her arms around herself as she looked up at him. He looked around nervously before sighing and nodding, muttering to himself as he led her a little ways away from the rest of the group.

When he was satisfied that he was far enough away that no one would be eavesdropping, he whipped around and starting wringing his baseball cap in his hands as the words starting spilling from his mouth.

"Look, I know you and Merle got along and you came here together and everything, and I'm sorry we left him there, but you have to understand that-" Piper cut him off as she processed what he had said.

"Wait, what do you mean you left him there?" Her voice had a dangerous edge to it as she tightened her stare on the nervous boy in front of her.

Before he got a chance to explain though, the new man from before who was dressed up in a sheriff's uniform walked up to them.

"Is this about Merle?" He asked. Piper sent him a suspicious glare before nodding her head slowly. Glenn slinked away while he had the chance, and ran over to the RV to go over the supplies they had retrieved with Shane, who was now holding a sleeping Bailey. Piper saw this, but said nothing as she fixed her steely gaze on the man in front of her.

He held his hand out to her and she slowly and reluctantly took it. "Name's Rick Grimes. If it wasn't for your group, I wouldnta' made it out of there." He began. She quickly cut him off.

"Then please tell me why one of that group is missing." She said coolly.

"He was a danger to all of us. I had no choice. He attacked T-Dog and I handcuffed him to a pipe on the roof of a shopping center. T-Dog tried to let him loose, but he dropped the keys down a drain. He chained up the door tight so the geeks can't get in." His face was apologetic but firm. She knew that this man had to have had a reason for what he did, but that didn't bring her friend back.

"I'll go get him. Tell me where you left him." She said determinedly. Rick instantly shook his head but she put out a hand. "You felt you had to leave him there, fine. But now I feel like I need to find him so that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Piper please, be reasonable." Lori's voice came from beside where they were talking.

Piper merely shook her head and firmly planted her hands on her hips. "What do you think Daryl is going to do when he gets back and finds out you all left his brother on a roof to die in the middle of a monster infested city? I'm going to go get him before he gets back."

Shane walked up then and placed his free hand firmly on her shoulder. "Listen girl, I know your upset, but no one is going anywhere today. It's getting too close to dark and it's not safe. We'll discuss this more in the morning when Dixon gets back." Piper swatted his hand off her shoulder and carefully took Bailey from him and stormed her way back into camp, throwing herself and the little girl into their tent and packing her bag. Because tomorrow, no matter what anyone else said, she was going after Merle. After all, if it weren't for him and Daryl, she, her mother and Bailey would all be long gone.

Claudia apologized to Rick for Piper's rudeness, but he shook it off and gave her a kind smile. "No worries ma'am, I understand why she's upset." Claudia grimaced at the thought of Merle chained up to a roof in the middle of Atlanta, surrounded by those walkers, but quickly shook the image from her mind, sending Rick a quick forced smile before returning to the womanly duties awaiting her at the camp.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this chapter is so short, but the next chapter will be up by tomorrow! Please leave me a review and let me know what you guys think! **

**~I do not own Walking Dead! I only own Piper, Claudia and Bailey!**

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Night came and Piper found herself reluctantly joining the group around the main fire to eat the canned beans and other assorted vegetables the group had scrounged up for dinner that night. Her mother had come into the tent shortly before this and coaxed her into coming out to eat. She was adamant at first to just stay in her tent, but Claudia was a very persuasive woman and she knew exactly what to say to get her out to the fire.

"If you're serious about going after Merle tomorrow, you need your strength so you can make it back to Bailey and I. Nobody is going to bring you food in here so you just go out there and make nice and eat your dinner." She had said firmly. Piper was in no mood to argue with her mom, and the fact that she wasn't trying to forbid her to go into the city was shocking enough, so she just sighed and mumbled as she stalked out of the tent.

She found herself seated between Carl and Shane with Bailey once again in her lap. An odd placement in her opinion, but her mother was seated beside T-dog and Jacqui and was animatedly talking to them both. Dinner consisted of Rick telling the story about how he woke up from a coma to find himself in this dead world. How he found a man named Morgan and his son Duane. How Glenn found him and saved him from being eaten by a herd of walkers and then he told them about Merle and how he got himself handcuffed to the roof.

"Has anyone put any thought as to what Daryl is going to do when he gets back and finds out he's gone? It's not going to be pretty…" Dale said earnestly. Piper snorted and everyone's eyes turned to her.

"Well of course not. How would you feel if the last family you had left was chained to a roof and left to die?" She bit out harshly before crossing her arms around the little girl sleeping in her arms and glaring at the fire. Her anger was building the more they talked about it. She tuned out what they were saying for a while as she stewed in her chair.

Amy rose from her chair and set her plate on the ground. She walked up to Piper and grabbed her hand, pulling her up and started to lead her away from the fire. Piper paused and looked at Shane with a silent question as she gestured to the dozing girl in her arms. Shane nodded his understanding as he set his plate down to accept the little girl into his arms. The group watched curiously, but said nothing as Amy then continued to drag her up to the RV and started climbing the ladder to the roof. They were taking a chance not having a watch on the RV tonight, but there were several people walking the perimeter so they were relatively safe.

Piper didn't know what her friend was up to, but she followed her up nonetheless. Amy walked over to the edge overlooking the quarry and leaned against the barrier there. Piper followed suit and placed herself next to her, waiting for her to speak.

"So. You really care about those guys don't you?" Amy cut right to the chase. Piper was watching the water reflect the moonlight and was quiet for a moment before she spoke.

"They saved my mom and I. Without them we would be dead right now. And they've been helping us survive ever since. They said they were just going to take us as far as Atlanta, but they didn't. They stuck with us this whole time. We're even camping next to them. You know they aren't really people-friendly, but god, they've been real lifesavers to us." She swiped a stray tear from her face. "Nobody deserves that. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

Amy nodded in understanding and rubbed her friends shoulder comfortingly. "You know, Merle is a tough bastard. I'm sure he'll be fine and when Daryl goes to get him he'll come back here ranting and raving." Piper laughed and couldn't help but agree.

"Thanks Amy. You're a good friend and I'm glad we met." She threw an arm over her friends shoulder and leaned her head against it.

Amy rested her head on Piper's and the two friends watched the stars for hours before finally heading back into camp for bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello all! Here's the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited Second Chances! Also, a huggge thank you to ****Pastel Shades**** for beta reading this for me! Go check out her Walking Dead story, Kindred Spirits and her Boondock Saints story, Saints Alive! They're awesome!**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Walking Dead, I only own Piper, Bailey, and Claudia**

**Please review so I know what you guys think! :D**

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The next day started fairly normally. Most of the women were doing laundry, washing the few dishes the camp had, or other various tasks. Most of the men were cleaning guns, walking around the perimeter of camp or managing their families while the children ran around playing.

Piper found herself double checking her bag and braiding her hair to the side of her head to keep it off her neck as she made sure she had everything she would need to go into the city. She carried a couple cans of beans and two water bottles in case she got stuck there for a while and also to give Merle something when she found him. Which she would.

She was dressed in a white tank top with a dark red flannel over the top with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She had on a pair of dark green cargo pants with multiple pockets and her trusty sneakers, laced up tight. In her pockets she kept spare ammo for her pistol as well as a pocket knife, a utility knife that was given to her by Shane with a passing "Just in case" the first night she was in camp and a small map of the area that she had found in Merle and Daryl's truck during the drive. When she was sure she had everything, she grabbed her pistol from on top of her bag and tucked it into the back of her pants after making sure the safety was on. She also grabbed the large hunting knife Merle had given her and strapped its sheath over her pants on her right thigh, putting the knife inside and clicking it shut.

Bailey was seated on her little flowered sleeping bag, sadness in her eyes as she watched her aunt pack up the bag. "Don't leave me..." The little girl managed to whimper out before barreling into the woman's side and crying uncontrollably.

Piper was surprised at the little girl at first, but then understanding dawned on her. Merle left the other day and didn't come back, and now she was leaving. The poor little thing thought she would be leaving permanently. She sighed and hugged the little girl, before gently pulling away and putting a finger under her chin and tilting her head up.

"You listen to me honey, I promise I won't leave you. I have to go get Mr. Merle, and then I'll come back okay? I could never leave you, you're my favorite niece!" She ended with a light tone, tickling the now squealing girl's belly. The little girl laughed out an 'Okay!' before Piper released her, giving her one last hug before taking her hand and leading her outside.

Just as she was making her way out of the tent, she heard screaming and she recognized it as the children. She pulled a panicked Bailey up into her arms and began running with the others and was met with the other four young children yelling and crying, running to their parents and clinging for dear life.

"There's a walker over there!" Carl said, pointing towards where they had been coming from. Shane lead the way as everyone followed. After reaching a small clearing, they found a lone walker pulling the insides out of a dead deer, ignorant to their presence. Amy gagged and turned while Piper and Andrea held her arms and watched with horror as the men began beating the walker, which did no good until Dale finally cut its head off with a shovel.

Everyone was just beginning to settle down when they heard stomping and a loud "Sonuvabitch" come from the woods in front of them. Daryl stalked up to the deer and kicked the body of the walker a few times, cussing it out. When he asked if they could cut around the chewed part, Piper nearly lost her breakfast, but contained herself and kept Bailey faced away from the gruesome scene.

"Probably not a good idea man." Shane said as looked at the deer in disgust.

"Dammit. Well, got us some squirrel. That'll have to do." Daryl walked off towards the camp yelling for Merle, which caused an uncomfortable sadness and tightening in Piper's chest. She walked after him to tell him about Merle, but Shane beat her to it.

"Slow up a bit man, gotta talk to you 'bout somethin'." Daryl narrowed his eyes at Shane but said nothing as he waited for the man to continue.

"There was a problem in Atlanta-" he started but was quickly cut off.

"He dead?" Daryl asked quietly. "Don't know." Was Shane's response.

"He either is or he ain't." Daryl was getting angry at this point and began pacing like a caged animal.

Rick walked forward at this point. "Listen, there ain't no easy way to say this so I'll just say it."

"Who the hell're you?" Daryl spat.

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick just tell him." Piper cut in, causing both men to look at her. She handed the little girl off to Claudia before walking up to the three men.

Rick nodded and continued his explanation. "Listen, Merle was a danger to everyone. Nearly got us all killed. I was forced to handcuff him to a pipe on a rooftop in the city. Still there."

Daryl was dangerously still and quiet before he exploded, yelling and tossing his arms around. He threw the squirrels at Rick, who just managed to dodge out of the way before Daryl ran at him. Shane caught him in the side with his shoulder and tackled him to the ground, holding him firmly around his neck with his arm.

"Shane! Let him go!" Piper yelled as she tried to make her way over, but was held back by Amy and Andrea.

"You'd best lemme go!" Daryl yelled as he fought against Shane's strong grip.

"I think it's best if I don't." Shane held firm as Rick approached.

"I would like to have a calm discussion about this if you think you're capable." He waited for Daryl to stop struggling before he nodded to Shane to let him go. He did, tossing him to the ground slightly in front of him.

Daryl sat on the ground for a while, composing himself before he rose to his feet and started pacing angrily. Piper pulled out of Amy and Andrea's grasp, making her way up to Daryl. She rested her hand on his arm, causing him to whip around to yell, but seeing it was her, he just jerked his arm away and kept pacing.

"Look, I know you're upset, but if you're going to help me find him then you're going to need to calm down." She said as she planted her hands on her hips, watching him expectantly. He looked over at her, shock crossing his features before he shook his head angrily.

"You ain't goin' nowhere. Ya don' even know where he is!" He began to raise his voice as his frustration built.

"He'll take you there. Won't you Rick?" Lori's voice came from the RV where she stared blankly at her husband. Rick looked shocked for a moment before he turned back to face Daryl. "I'm goin' back." Lori shook her head and walked into the RV.

Carl walked up to Rick. He looked down at his hands sadly before raising his gaze to meet his father's eyes. "I don't want you to go dad…" He said sadly. While Rick comforted his son, Piper turned and saw her niece barreling towards her and caught her, lifting her up and hugging her tight.

"Be careful mama." Bailey muttered into Piper's shoulder. Piper froze when she heard the little girl, shocked and unsure of what she should say. Claudia heard what the little girl said and nodded encouragingly to Piper.

"I will baby, just promise that you'll do whatever the grownups tell you to do okay?" Piper told her seriously. Bailey nodded and hugged Piper around the neck tightly. Piper adjusted her grip on the little girl, settling her on her hip as she sent a sad grimace towards her mother, worried for what had befallen Bailey's actual mother.

"Shane, can I talk to you for a minute?" Piper turned as she called out to the policeman. He turned to her and nodded before following her a little ways away from the group.

"What's up Piper?"

"Well, I know this may be weird for me to ask, but can you watch Bailey for me while I'm gone?" Shane looked at her shocked.

"What about yer mom? Won't she wanna be watchin' her?" Piper sighed and turned to face him.

"She does so many things for this camp, washing laundry, cooking food, managing camp, watching the other kids. She has so much on her plate right now, and Bailey really likes you. I'd feel better knowing she's with you and my mom can take a little break now and then." She looked up at him hopefully as she readjusted her grip on the little girl in her arms.

Bailey looked up at Shane seriously for a moment. "I pwomise I'll be vewy good. I do evewyting you say." She smiled up at him and reached her arms out to him. He smiled at her and took her from Piper, settling the small girl on his hip as she gripped his shoulder with one hand while the other rested at her side.

"Don't worry 'bout her Piper. I'll keep an eye on her for ya." Piper squeezed his arm in thanks and made her way back to the group now gathering to leave for the city after giving Bailey a quick kiss on the cheek.

She saw Daryl pacing the inside of the large white van with impatience as the others finished with their goodbyes. The others that would be searching for Merle were T-Dog, Glenn and Rick along with Daryl and Piper.

"Hurry yer asses up!" Daryl called from the van as he stomped his foot on the horn. Piper shook her head and picked her bag up from outside her tent and strode up to the van, pulling herself inside. Rick and Glenn sat up front while T-Dog and Daryl sat in the open back with Piper.

The drive to the city was mostly filled with a tense, awkward silence. Suddenly Daryl turned to T-Dog, sending him an angry glare. "You'd best hope he's there. For your sake." T-Dog scoffed and shook his head, but gave no response and Piper sent Daryl a chiding look that he mostly ignored.

The van eventually rolled to a stop a short distance out of the city. "We walk from here." Glenn sent over his shoulder as he opened his door and climbed out of the van. Rick was right behind him and with the three in the back climbing out the large doors at the back of the van, the group quickly began their trek into the city.

**Don't forget to review! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! Here's chapter 7! It's a little bit shorter and it was a bit harder for me to write, but hopefully you guys like it! Please leave me a REVIEW so I know what you think! :) Huge thank you to Pastel Shades for Beta reading this for me :) Go check out her stories! They're fantastic :)**

**~Disclaimer~ I do not own The Walking Dead, I only own Piper, Bailey and Claudia :)**

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They picked their way through the city, dodging walkers and hiding behind cars as they made their way to the mall where they had left Merle. Daryl shot a couple stray walkers still wandering around the destroyed mall before taking off up the stairs to the roof. Piper and the others followed close behind him.

When Daryl broke through the chain keeping the door shut, Piper heard his anguished cry as she made her way onto the roof. She saw Rick's gun trained on Daryl's head, with Daryl's crossbow aimed at T-Dog's head.

"Daryl, put it down or so help me I will shoot you. I don't care if it attracts every walker in the area." Rick kept his expression blank as he stared Daryl down.

Piper clung to Glenn's arm as they anxiously waited to see what was going to happen. Daryl lowered his crossbow slowly before shaking his head and walking up to what Piper now saw was a severed hand. She covered her mouth with her hand as she gagged at the sight, nearly losing it when Daryl put the now wrapped hand into Glenn's backpack.

"Ain't nothin' gonna kill Merle but Merle. Bastard cut his own hand off. Musta used his belt as a tourniquet. Look, blood leads that way." Daryl gestured towards the spots of blood making a trail downstairs.

They followed the trail until they found themselves in a room with stoves, one of the burners still lit and going. A foul smell invaded their senses as they walked further into the room.

"Oh gross, what is that smell?" Piper gagged and covered her mouth and nose with her free hand, keeping her machete in a tight grip in her right. She saw Rick and Daryl walking up to the burner and watched as Rick picked up a metal tool-looking object.

"What's that on there?" T-Dog asked as he risked venturing forward.

"Skin." Rick grimaced as he placed the object back on the stove. Piper couldn't hold it in anymore and heaved in the corner. Glenn walked up to her and rubbed her back while trying to control his own churning stomach.

"Told ya. Nothin's gonna kill Merle but Merle." Daryl snapped as he continued following the now less obvious blood trail down the hall.

**~Back at Camp~**

Claudia was down washing laundry with Carol, Andrea, Amy and Jacqui in an attempt to drive away the worry that was coursing through her as she waited for her daughter and the group to return. They passed the time with random little conversations, followed by awkward silences as they tried, but failed to ignore the patronizing stares being sent their way by Ed. Claudia turned to look for Bailey, seeing her further along in the water with Shane and Carl, splashing and giggling.

She was shocked back into the conversation after hearing Andrea mention something about missing her vibrator. She let out a quiet chuckle at the young woman and resumed scrubbing the overalls Bailey had been wearing before she changed into the bright pink summer dress she was now dressed in.

Carol's mumbled "Me too" about the vibrator sent the women into hysterics, laughing loudly and unfortunately attracting the attention of Ed.

He walked down and stood a few feet away from the group of girls, sending them a sneer. "What's so damn funny?"

"Nothing Ed, we're just talking." Andrea rolled her eyes and turned away back to the clothes.

"You'd best just get back to work. This ain't no comedy club." Ed sent Carol a warning glare, causing Claudia to stiffen and wrap her arm around the timid woman protectively.

"Hey Ed, if you don't like the way your laundry is done, how 'bout you do it yourself?" Andrea glared as she threw the shirt in her hand at Ed, who caught it and whipped it back at her face.

This caused all the women to rise to their feet and glare at him. "C'mon, let's go." He gestured for Carol, but Claudia firmly grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her back.

"I don't think so Ed. She's not going anywhere with you anymore." None of the women had seen such livid expression on the gentle woman's face, but this didn't deter Ed.

"You'd best come now, or you'll regret it later." Still Claudia refused to let Carol go. Ed, sick of the disobedience from his wife and the arrogance of the new woman, shoved Claudia to the ground hard and slapped Carol hard in the face. Amy, Andrea and Jacqui all started yelling and hitting at Ed. Before he had a chance to react, Shane slammed into him and dragged him a little ways away from the group of girls and started punching him in the face repeatedly.

Most of the girls watched in horror, Carol crying and calling out for Shane to stop. Claudia watched on, slightly disturbed by the violence, but feeling that it was just what the man deserved. She had zero tolerance for abuse of any kind, and this man was beyond cruel. Any man who could make his wife so withdrawn and his daughter terrified of her own shadow got no sympathy from her.

Eventually Shane heard the distraught women, bent down and whispered something in Ed's face before punching him again and sending one last glance at the girls before storming off. Claudia ran to catch up to him, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. He turned around and sent a very small smile at the woman as he stopped.

"Thank you. For helping us. I know the others appreciate it too, they were just a little…shocked at your method." She smiled warmly and kindly at him. He relaxed slightly after hearing that they didn't all think of him as a monster.

"No problem. Just lemme know if he causes any more problems." Claudia nodded her head and started scanning the area as if searching for something. "Bailey is with Lori and Carl. Figured she could do with some lessons." He smirked, knowing that no three year old had any interest in school work.

Claudia laughed and turned to face the small area of camp they had set up as a make-shift school and saw Bailey running laps around the table and Lori, who was desperately trying to settle the little girl down. "Yeah, she is a feisty one. But she's an absolute sweetheart. Couldn't ask for a better granddaughter." Her smile was gentle and loving as she watched the little girl giggling and playing without a care in the world. Shane couldn't help but think that the only true peace during this hell was watching the innocence of the children playing, and wishing desperately that they could all be so carefree and happy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Sorry about the delay in updating, school started and my new job is taking almost all my free time! I will try to keep updating more regularly, but please be patient with me! I hope you guys like it! :) I still don't own TWD, only my OC's**

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"What'd you do 'fore all this?" Daryl asked as Glenn finished telling them his plan to get the guns.

"I delivered pizza. Why?" Daryl just shook his head.

"Still don't think takin' her with us is a good idea." Daryl commented as he loaded an arrow into his crossbow.

"It's the most solid plan. If she's there with me by the guns, I'll have an extra set of eyes and we can have each other's backs if things get bad." Glenn reasoned. Piper chose this moment to speak up.

"I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, I can handle it." She sent them a smirk as she adjusted her grip on the machete in her hand. T-Dog and Rick gave her an unsure glance while Daryl outright scoffed.

"Ain't nothin' big about you 'cept maybe your head short-stack." Piper scowled and cursed him under her breath as she led the way to the alley. When she passed him, she glared, muttered "Stupid hick." and pushed her way past him.

When they finally made it to the alley, Rick and T-Dog hung back while Daryl, Glenn and Piper walked forward cautiously, watching for walkers as they made their way up to a dumpster.

Glenn was taking deep breaths to calm himself as Piper waited anxiously for them to get the guns. She wanted nothing more than to continue their search for Merle, but she understood T-Dog's need to get the gun bag first.

"You got balls for a chinaman." Daryl said as he propped his crossbow on the top of the dumpster.

"I'm Korean." Glenn threw over his shoulder, annoyance clear on his features.

"Whatever."

"Okay, you're both pretty, can we move on please?" Piper flashed them a look of irritation before slowly making her way to the end of the alley. Glenn was close on her heels and they quickly skirted through the chain link fence to the bag of guns.

Just as Glenn grabbed it and he and Piper were making their way back into the alley, they saw a young Mexican boy walk out, eyeing the bag and the three people. Daryl aggressively made his way up to the boy, crossbow trained on his head. "The hell are you?" He asked gruffly.

The boy slowly backed away before he started yelling. "Ayúdame!" Daryl tried to shut him up, but the boy continued yelling until two large men ran into the alley near Glenn and Piper and a car screeched to a stop.

Piper and Glenn had nowhere to run, and fought against the two men as they were pushed back towards the car. One of the men punched Glenn in the face after he took a swing at the guy with his bat. Piper was grabbed from behind, her wrists being held in a strong grip as she was pushed back into the car.

Daryl fought with the younger man, failing to notice the man that snuck up behind him. He fell to the ground as the man hit him with a bat and kicked him in the stomach, making him groan in pain. He heard the desperate calls of Piper and Glenn as they yelled out for him to help them. Before the last guy got in the car, Daryl released the bolt from his crossbow, the arrow lodging itself deep in the guy's backside.

The man cried out in pain as he hobbled into the car, the tires screeching as the car peeled away. Daryl ran to the end of the alley, prepared to run after them if it weren't for the dozen walkers making their way towards him, groaning and growling as they desperately reached for him. He pulled the chain link fence against the alley so they couldn't get in and turned to face the kid.

Piper struggled against the ropes binding her wrists tightly to a chair as she sat next to Glenn in a small room. Glenn was trying to loosen his restraints as well, but their efforts were cut short when the door slammed open.

A large Mexican man walked in with another shorter man. The taller man held cloth bags in his hands while the other one held thick strips of cloth. Piper couldn't help the fear that shot through her as the men slowly walked towards them. The men didn't say anything, tying the cloth bands tightly over their mouths and putting the bags over their heads as they were untied from the chairs.

Piper and Glenn tried desperately to pull away from their captors to no avail as they were forcefully led from the room. They heard the rattle of a doorknob and a squeak as a door was opened. Piper felt a warm breeze blow over her arms as she was pushed through the door ahead of her captor.

She heard voices arguing below her before she felt the bag being ripped from her head. She squinted against the sudden light, taking in her surroundings. She looked down to see that she was standing on the ledge of a very tall building. She tensed and tried to step away from the edge, but a sharp prod from the pistol at her back kept her from moving.

"Piper, Glenn!" She snapped her head down and saw Rick, Daryl and a teenage boy bound with rope between them. She yelled through the cloth over her mouth and struggled more when she saw her companions. The burly man gripped her arm harshly, making her hiss and wince in pain. She looked down and her fear filled eyes met with the worried ones of her friends. Rick turned to the men standing down below and talked angrily while Daryl kept his eyes on Piper.

She heard the gun trained on her back click and she tensed as tears filled her eyes. She fixed her eyes on Daryl, feeling comforted by his presence and her muffled screams sent a rage burning through Daryl as she was led from the roof back into the building.

"Sorry mamacita, time to go." The man said as he pulled her back through the doorway.

Bailey bounced in her seat with excitement as she fidgeted restlessly in the middle seat of the boat as Andrea rowed them out into the lake while Amy prepared the poles.

"Bailey, settle down or you're going to end up in the lake!" Amy scolded playfully. The little girl let out a frustrated huff and played with her fingers as she watched the water sparkle and ripple as Andrea pushed the oars through the water.

When they got a ways into the lake, Andrea cast a shorter pole into the water with a bobber and worm and handed it to Bailey.

"Now if you feel a tug, then you just spin this reel in a circle and pull it in." Andrea told her with a smile. Bailey nodded with a determined stare focused on the small red and white bobber sitting on the water's surface.

After sitting out quietly on the lake for an hour, the little girl heard the two women start arguing in hushed voices. She stayed silent until she saw tears start to form in the women's eyes. Just as she was about to say something, she felt a sharp tug from her pole. She snapped her attention to her bobber only to find it disappeared.

She let out a squeal and started cranking the reel, struggling to reel in the fish. Amy and Andrea both reached over to help her with Andrea holding her hand over Bailey's and helping her reel while Amy held onto the little girls shoulders to keep her from tumbling into the lake.

"Good job Bailey! Keep going, you almost got him!" Amy cheered as she watched the little girl pulling in the fish with excitement and a little nervousness.

When Andrea finally got the fish landed, Bailey let out a little squeal and hopped away from it, hiding behind Amy on her bench. The sisters laughed lightly and Andrea took the hook out of the small bass' mouth, holding it up by the lip to show the little girl.

"It's okay Bailey, it won't hurt you. Do you wanna touch it before I put it on the stringer?" Bailey nodded her head apprehensively as she slowly made her way over to the fish. She cautiously reached out her hand and with one finger, petted the slimy fish. She giggled and danced in place, nearly falling out of the boat if not for Amy's quick reflexes.

After a few more hours of fishing and a stringer full of fish, the three girls made their way back to the camp, handing off the prize proudly to a somewhat stunned Shane.

"Wow Bailey! I didn't know you were such an accomplished fisherman!" He propped his hands on his knees as he crouched in front of the little girl. "I bet you caught all these fish by yourself huh. Those mean girls, making you do all the work." He shook his head in mock disbelief while the little girl laughed.

"No Shane! I caughted dis one!" She pointed to the small bass near the top of the stringer. Shane ruffled her hair affectionately before lifting her up and placing her on his shoulders. She gripped his hair gently and squealed happily as he picked up the fish and headed off into camp throwing a 'Thanks girls!' over his shoulder.

"Come on Bailey, let's go get the rest of the labor force and fix us up some dinner!"

"Otay!" She commented as she enjoyed her view from atop Shane's shoulders. The two walked towards a picnic table where Lori was helping Carl and Sophia with some school work while Carol sat nearby mending clothes.

"So, who's helpin' me scale supper?" Shane's loud voice boomed out as Bailey waved her arms in the air and laughed.

"Mom can I? Please? I finished my homework!" Carl begged. Lori laughed and shook her head, waving him off.

"Go ahead, you guys did good so if you want to get your hands covered in fish goo be my guest." Sophia sent her mother a questioning look.

"Sure honey, just stay close to Shane and be careful not to hurt yourself." Sophia smiled brightly and nodded her head before walking with Carl up to Shane's side.

"Lowi! Cawol! I caughted a fish all by myself!" Bailey boasted from her perch.

"Did you now? Well, looks like we have a new breadwinner in camp!" Lori smiled and tickled the girl's foot when she walked past. The girl giggled and turned when she heard Carol approach.

"That's great sweetie." She sent the little girl a sweet smile and with a soft pat on her leg, continued with Lori back into camp to help get the fire stoked and ready for the fish.

Shane bounced the little girl on his shoulder as he led the three youngsters to a picnic table to start cleaning the night's dinner.

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Here's chapter 9 of Second Chances! I'm really working on getting updates out regularly, but I'm still trying to get my life together! Anyways, I hope you guys like the chapter! Please review! Disclaimer~ I only own my OC's, I do not own TWD!**

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After the standoff between these men and her group, Piper found herself back in the room from before, but this time she wasn't tied up or blindfolded. She and Glenn were waiting for the boss to come talk to them.

When she heard the creak of the door, Piper couldn't help but cringe and huddle close to Glenn, who put an arm around her protectively despite his own fears. The man who entered was a shorter Mexican man who wore a white wife beater and a dark jacket with his hair slicked back and a thick chain around his neck.

Piper trembled with fear as the strange man approached them. Glenn pulled her closer and she could feel him shaking as well as he led them further away from the man.

"Easy, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to talk." He said with a noticeable accent as he raised his hands up to show he was unarmed. Piper felt herself relax slightly, but was still tense as Glenn swallowed loudly.

"W-what do you want?" He asked nervously. The man shook his head and sat in an empty chair, gesturing for them to do the same. When they just stared, he shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in the chair.

"I just want to make sure you aren't going to hurt any of my people." He said simply. Piper and Glenn sent him a confused look.

"But you're the ones keeping us hostage…" Piper started. The man shook his head and cut her off.

"That was a misunderstanding. We don't want to hurt nobody. We just want to protect our own. Come on, I'll show you what I mean." He led the pair out of the room and down the hall into a large lobby like area where a dozen elderly people were sitting. Some were reading books while others talked to each other. A few were lying in reclining chairs, fast asleep.

"We're in a nursing home?" Piper asked. The man nodded his head and gestured to the people in front of him.

"These people were left to die. We couldn't just leave them so we boarded up the place, made it safe. We needed those guns to keep them safe. Your buddies are gonna be back. Hopefully it won't turn violent."

"Just let us go. We can go talk to them and then no one will have to get hurt. Hell, Rick will probably give you some guns if you tell him what you're doing here!" Glenn tried to persuade the man, but he just shook his head.

"Sorry man, but for right now you two are our bargaining chips." The two sighed in defeat and decided to make the most of their freedom. Glenn went over to an old man playing chess while Piper sat near a window, hoping that the others would get there soon and that they'd all be able to go back to the quarry in one piece.

Several hours passed before the man that led them to the lobby was called out. A few tense minutes passed along with many nervous glances between herself and Glenn before the door opened again and the man entered, with Rick, Daryl and T-Dog following behind him as well as the man who tied them up and the kid from the alley.

Rick quickly pulled the leader away while Piper quickly rose from her seat and ran over to Daryl and T-Dog.

"You alright girl?" T-Dog asked as he looked her over for injuries. Piper nodded her head and placed herself between the two men. Glenn walked over to Rick and the leader, listening in on whatever discussion they were having.

"Told ya not ta bite off more'n you can chew." Daryl said quietly and with a small smirk as he glanced down at the girl beside him.

She sent him a glare and bumped his shoulder with hers, turning her attention to the two leaders as they approached. Rick pulled out a couple guns and a box of ammo, handing them off to the man. Daryl shook his head in frustration and led the group out.

When they were clear of the building, Daryl took the opportunity to speak up.

"We need those guns. Don't make no sense to be handin' em out to every sob story we hear." Rick sighed and turned to face him.

"They needed them more than we do. We have more than enough to bolster our supply at camp. I only gave them a few. Just enough to get by for now."

They approached the spot where they had left the van, only to find the space vacant. "Umm, guys? Please tell me you moved the van while Glenn and I were gone…" Piper asked nervously. When no one answered, she groaned in frustration.

"Who would steal the van?" T-Dog asked as he paced in front of them.

"Merle." Daryl answered immediately. "And if it is, he'll be headed back to camp with a vengeance." Piper tensed as she thought about her mom. But surely he wouldn't hurt them would he?

Daryl, as if reading her mind turned to her. "Don't worry 'bout your mom or Bailey. He won't hurt 'em. Never was one for hurtin' women and children." Piper nodded, reassured by Daryl's word, but still worried for the other members of camp.

Without another word, the small group began jogging back; desperately hoping that everything and everyone would be in one piece when they got there.

* * *

Night came with still no sign of the missing members of the group. Everyone had been tense and nervous throughout the day, but relaxed as everyone gathered around the fire for the fish dinner.

The fire crackled as the fish was passed around, people laughing and joking as they felt somewhat peaceful for the first time in a long time.

Baily sat in Shane's lap with Claudia seated next to them. She was pleased that Shane was so patient with her granddaughter. The little girl was currently making him de-bone her fish for her so she could eat it. When she had asked him, he huffed in mock annoyance and mumbled about the 'little princess' which caused the little girl to giggle.

After a few comments about Dale's watch, Amy rose from her seat and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Andrea asked worriedly. Amy rolled her eyes and turned to face her sister.

"Going to pee geez, try to be discreet around here." The group laughed and Bailey bounced on Shane's lap to get his attention.

"I gotsa go potty too!" She cried out desperately. Amy heard the little girl and walked back to the fire. "Well, I guess you'll be my potty buddy then huh?" She asked the little girl with a smile as she lifted her and balanced her on her hip, walking them into the RV.

The babble continued around the fire for a few minutes before they heard the RV door open again. They turned to see Bailey hopping down the steps and Amy leaning against the open door.

"We're out of toilet paper?" She asked incredulously. Out of nowhere, Bailey let out a blood curdling scream and Amy felt an arm grab her shoulder and turned to see a walker ripping into the flesh of her arm. Bailey ran up to her and pulled her free hand, trying to help her, but Amy just screamed in pain and shoved the little girl away. "Run Bailey!" She screamed as she fought the walker, which was now taking a bite out of her neck.

The camp erupted in chaos in a matter of seconds. Everyone jumped from their chairs around the fire, pulling loved ones close and desperately fighting the horde of walkers that were now attacking them.

Lori and Carol gathered Carl and Sophia, following closely behind Shane. Claudia was trying to reach Bailey and saw, as the little girl whimpered in fear, four walkers crowded around her. Claudia picked up a stray baseball bat and ran up behind the flocking walkers. She took a deep breath in and swung, cracking the bat soundly against the first walker's head. The decaying woman fell to the ground dead while the other three turned their attention to the woman.

She backed up slowly, drawing them away from Bailey. When the little girl whimpered and tried to follow, Claudia gave her a stern look. "Don't you follow me baby, you go to Shane right now okay? Grandma loves you sweetheart. Tell mommy I love her too okay? You'll be okay." Tears flooded down both their cheeks as the little girl reluctantly turned to race to Shane and Claudia turned her attention back to the walkers, which now numbered seven.

She refused to go down without a fight, and fight she did. She continued swinging the bat as she heard the screams of the dying people from the camp as well as the shuffling and groaning from the invaders.

Claudia felt arms grasp her shoulders, and turned to see the rotting face of a woman growled as she sunk her teeth deeply into her shoulder. She cried out in pain as she desperately tried to pry the walker off of her. The others began closing in, clawing and biting at her arms. She never stopped fighting the grasping hands and she heard gunshots from nearby. She felt the arms and teeth drop away from her and she collapsed to the ground in pain as more gunshots rang out.

She looked around and saw Rick and T-Dog next to her as they kept the approaching walkers away from her. She looked further and saw Daryl and Piper standing back to back shooting walkers while Glenn ran up from behind them and sliced into a walker's head with his machete.

After all the walkers were taken care of, silence rang through camp except for the desperate cries of the mourning families. Piper desperately searched for her mother and Bailey. She found Bailey balanced on Shane's hip, crying loudly as she buried her face in his chest. She ran up to the two and pulled the little girl into her arms, hugging her tightly and thanking God that she was okay.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so glad you're okay. They didn't bite or scratch you did they honey?" Piper ran her hands all over the little girl, searching for any injuries, but found nothing but dried blood that must have come from somebody else. The little girl was still bawling, clinging desperately to Piper's shirt.

"Honey, it's okay. You're safe." Piper cooed to the little girl. Bailey shook her head and hiccupped as she tried to form words. Piper rubbed her back soothingly as she patiently waited to hear what the little girl had to say.

"Gamma… she said she wuvs us…" She said quietly. Piper felt her blood run cold. Shane came up behind her and gripped her shoulder gently. She stood up and picked up Bailey, handing her to Shane as her eyes combed the camp for her mother.

"Mom?" She called, tears building up in her eyes. "MOM!" She screamed as she still failed to find her.

"Piper." She heard a soft voice call out. She whipped her head around and found her. Lying on the ground, covered in gaping wounds and blood was her sweet, loving mother. She covered her mouth with her free hand, dropping her pistol from her other. She sprinted up to her mother's side, crouching and taking her right hand in both of hers as tears poured down her cheeks.

"Mom! Oh my god mom… I'm so sorry. We should have gotten back sooner… Oh god…" Piper choked back a sob as she stroked the side of her mother's face.

"Baby, this is not your fault. Do you understand? You had nothing to do with this." Piper shook her head as she shook with her sadness.

Claudia patted her daughter's cheek weakly, causing the woman to look up at her. "You need to be strong, Piper. That little girl needs you. She needs a mother in all this. Now I know you can do this. You love her like she was your own child. I love you so much and I am so proud." Piper couldn't control her sobs as she listened to her mother's words. "You know there is nothing to be done for me. I don't want to suffer through this." Piper couldn't believe what she was hearing and started to protest.

"Don't you dare argue with me on this, Piper." Her mother coughed as she scolded her. She turned to Rick and T-Dog, who had returned after checking with the rest of the group. "Rick," He turned when he heard his name. "I need you to help me okay?" He tentatively nodded his head as he waited to hear what the woman wanted.

"I need you to help me out into the woods. I'll do it myself but I won't be able to walk through the woods like this." At this Piper lost it.

"You are not going anywhere Mom, do you hear me? We're going to go to the CDC and get you help. Maybe they can cure this. I can't lose you Mom, not now." She sniffed as she tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks, only for more to replace them.

Claudia stroked her daughter's cheek. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. Piper didn't know if her brother and sister-in-law were still alive. But she knew that Piper would make it. She was strong and she would take care of Bailey if it was the last thing she did. She looked up and made eye contact with Rick and nodded, signaling that she was ready. When he tried to lift her, Piper panicked and slapped his hands away.

Rick pulled back and watched her sadly as she cradled her mother's head in her lap as she cried.

"Piper, you have to stop. It hurts, so much. I just want it to end." Tears streaked down Claudia's cheeks as she clenched her teeth in pain.

"I know Mom. I-I'm so sorry." Claudia grasped her daughter's hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

Rick, deciding this might be his only chance, slowly walked forward and lifted the woman into his arms, his heart breaking as she whimpered in pain. Behind them, Shane handed Bailey to Lori and walked up to them.

"What's goin' on man?" He asked as he finally saw the injured woman for the first time. "Aw shit…" His heart clenched as he took in her injuries, knowing there was nothing he could do for her. He watched as Piper walked over to where her pistol lay in the dust and picked it up, dusting it off and putting it in the waistband of her pants. She then followed Rick as he took her mother into the woods.

"Are you sure you don't want to say goodbye to everyone?" Rick asked solemnly as he gently laid Claudia down on a soft bed of moss.

She shook her head sadly as she adjusted herself to a more comfortable position. "I've said goodbye to Bailey and Piper is here. I don't want anyone else to see me like this." Rick nodded in understanding. Piper approached from behind.

"You can go Rick. I'll take care of it." She said sternly, but the sternness was lost when he saw the tears still pouring down her cheeks.

"Piper-" He tried to argue but she cut him off with a look.

"She's my mother. You go back and comfort your family, I'm sure they're upset." Rick hesitated, but saw Claudia smile sadly and nod. He crouched down next to her and held her hand gently.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you. You don't deserve it." He patted her hand and returned her smile before standing up and walking up to Piper. He rested his hand on her shoulder and he felt her shaking. He squeezed firmly and gave her a sad smile before making his way back to camp to comfort his distraught family.

After he left, Piper slowly approached her mother. "Mommy, I'm so sorry. I don't think I can do this without you." Her voice broke as she held her mother's hand.

When she saw how vulnerable her daughter was in that moment it broke Claudia's heart, but she knew it was for the best. "Piper, just leave me the gun and go. I'll do it myself. Go comfort Bailey." Piper shook her head furiously.

"No. I'm not letting you do that. You know suicide is a sin. There's no way you aren't going to Heaven." Piper was always iffy about religion, but she knew if there was even a chance that heaven was real, she would do everything in her power for her mother to go there.

Claudia shook her head and patted Piper's knee. "Please sweetie. Just let me do it." When Piper again refused, she sighed in resignation. "I love you baby. Don't ever forget that. Take care of yourself and of Bailey." Fresh tears escaped from both women as they said their final goodbyes.

"I love you Mommy… So much. I'll take care of Bailey. We'll be okay…for you, we'll be okay." She continued to cry as she cocked the pistol and pressed it against her mother's head. Sobs tore through her as her mother closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. Piper closed her eyes tightly and squeezed her mother's hand in her free one as her hand with the gun shook violently.

When the camp heard a loud gunshot from the woods, not a single person missed the powerful wave of sadness and grief that threatened to overwhelm them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay again. I'm not doing so hot in my classes so I'm trying to dedicate more time to studying. I hope you guys like the chapter and please review so I know how I'm doing!**

**~Disclaimer~ I do not own The Walking Dead, only my OC's**

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Piper stayed in her tent with Bailey the next day. Daryl found her the night before, attempting to dig a grave for her mother among a bed of Cherokee Roses, beside the soft moss bed where she lay, with her bare hands. If it weren't for the small trail of blood coming from her head, Daryl would have sworn she was sleeping.

When he saw what Piper was doing, he went back to camp and grabbed a shovel, brushing off the questions being thrown at him as he made his way back to Piper. She had ignored him when he first approached, figuring that when he saw what had happened he would stay away, but when he came back she looked up from her dirtied and bloody nails.

He nodded at her once and gently pushed her away. He slammed the shovel into the ground, making quick work of removing the soft earth. When a sizeable hole was dug, he helped Piper lay Claudia in the grave. Before he started to toss the earth over her, Piper picked a large bouquet of flowers and placed it in her mother's hands. She then stepped away and crouched to the ground, slowly taking handfuls of dirt and tossing them over her mother.

Daryl gave her a moment before shoveling the remainder of the dirt into the grave. Piper placed a large stone at the head of the grave along with another bundle of flowers. Tears streaked down her cheeks, but she controlled her sobs, knowing she had to return and comfort Bailey.

She turned to look at Daryl, who was leaning against the shovel watching her. She slowly approached him, and he watched her cautiously. What he was not expecting was for the woman to hug him tightly, pressing her face against his chest. He stiffened, but didn't pull away as he waited for her to release him.

When she finally pulled away, she gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Daryl. For everything. We wouldn't have made it as far as we did without you guys." Daryl knew she was talking about Merle, but said nothing. He just nodded and bumped her shoulder with his gently before silently leading them back to camp.

Piper lay in her tent, staring at the ceiling while Bailey slept fitfully in the small sleeping bag next to her. Piper had gathered her mother's belongings, handing out her clothes to the other women and keeping a few things for herself and Bailey to remember her by. The woman tried to protest, but she explained that her mother would want them to make use of what she had, even though she herself felt it was wrong to be handing out her dead mother's belongings.

No one tried to talk to her that morning. After a few hours of lying motionless, she heard Bailey whimper and felt her as she crawled over and snuggled into her side. She wrapped her arm around the little girl and kissed her head. Bailey turned to look up at her, eyes full of questions.

"What is it baby?" Piper asked tiredly. She knew what questions were coming, and despite the absolute loathing of having to talk about it, she knew it had to be done.

"Where's gamma, mommy?" She looked at Piper innocently as she waited for an answer. Piper had to hold in the sob that threatened to tear from her throat. She looked at the little girl sadly.

"She's in heaven baby. Remember that talk we had when you're Grandpa went to heaven?" The little girl looked down before nodding, tears filling her eyes.

"I wanna see gamma…I no want her in heaven…" She started to cry and gripped Piper's sleep shirt tighter. Piper rubbed her shoulders soothingly as the little girl cried.

"You know sweetie, Grandma is in a better place now. She won't have to do this anymore. She can be at peace. And someday, if you're a very good girl, you'll see her again. When it's your time to go to heaven. But not for a long, long time. I can't have you leaving me, baby." Bailey considered this and nodded.

"Momma?" She asked innocently. Piper's heart both swelled and broke every time the little girl called her Momma. She was happy that she felt so close to her that she could call her 'mom', but she was sad that she had been away from her actual mother long enough that she either forgot her, or just decided to replace her.

"Yeah, honey?"

"Can we go outside? Wanna see Shaney and Cawl and Sophia." She gave Piper puppy dog eyes as she asked and Piper couldn't help but agree. She knew it would be hard to face everyone, but also knew she had to do her part cleaning up the camp.

"Yeah, we can go outside." Bailey hopped around excitedly while she waited for Piper change her clothes and pick out clothes for her.

Piper changed into a pair of dark jeans and a black tank top. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and laced up her tennis shoes before grabbing a light purple sundress decorated with white flowers for Bailey.

She sat her niece in front of her after getting her in the dress, brushing through her hair and French braiding it tightly and shooing the little girl out. After Bailey had left, Piper took two deep breaths before stepping out of the tent.

She was met with the survivors shuffling around camp, mourning their loved ones or piling the dead bodies. The sight was almost too much for her. Every body that she saw was her mother's, and every sniffle and sob reminded her of herself mere hours before. She watched as Bailey ran to Shane, who had been hefting a walker onto the growing pile. When he saw Bailey coming, he dropped the body to the ground and crouched, lifting her up and settling her on his hip as she talked to him animatedly.

Piper scanned the camp when her eyes suddenly landed on Andrea, huddled over someone. She felt her heart clench. She ran up to Andrea, who cocked her pistol and aimed it at her before realizing who it was. When she made eye contact with Piper, both girls burst into fresh tears. Piper wrapped her arm around Andrea's shoulder as they looked down at Amy's body.

"Oh Andrea, I'm so sorry. If only we'd gotten back sooner…" Andrea shook her head at her and wrapped her arm around Piper's waist.

"It's not your fault Piper. It's not anyone's fault but those damn walkers." She choked back a sob and the two women sat there silently as they mourned Amy.

Piper looked up from her spot to check on Bailey. She saw the little girl sitting with Carl, Sophia and the Morales' children. They were huddled in a circle, drawing in the dirt. She smiled at the scene, glad to see that Bailey had accepted her explanation of Claudia's death without too much distress.

After a while, Piper rose from her place and patted Andrea's shoulder before making her way to the fire. She sat down on a log and started cleaning the left over fish that were going to be cooked for breakfast. She was focused intently on her work and failed to notice Shane's approach.

"Hey Piper. Need some help?" Piper shook her head, but smiled slightly back.

"No thanks Shane. I'm just about done. Shouldn't you be helping with the clean up?" She asked curiously.

"Nah, we're done. Just a few last minute things now." Piper started nodding her head when once again, hell started to break loose.

"A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!" Jacqui cried out as she scrambled away from the scrawny man. Everyone gathered around him, closing him in a circle while Rick and Shane tried to calmly reason with him.

"I'm okay. I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay." Jim chanted as he wrung his hands. When he saw that no one was moving away from him, he leaned over and grabbed a shovel, swinging wildly at anyone who neared him. Shane, Rick and Daryl wasted no time subduing him with Shane wrenching the shovel from his hands and holding him in a sort of headlock.

Daryl lifted his shirt up, and sure enough there was an ovular bite mark on his abdomen where a walker had clearly tried to take a chunk out.

Piper saw Bailey running towards her, and quickly scooped the little girl up and held her tightly. Piper turned to see that Shane, Rick, Daryl and T-Dog were gathered in a small circle with the rest of the group close by. Suddenly, Piper saw Daryl launch himself at Jim, pickaxe in hand.

Rick pulled out his pistol and aimed it to the back of Daryl's head. The gun gave a resounding click as he pulled the hammer back. Daryl froze in place, fixing Jim with a heavy glare.

"We don't kill the living." Rick said firmly. Daryl scoffed and turned to look at him.

"That's funny, coming from the man who's got a gun to my head." Shane took this opportunity to stand between Daryl and Jim.

"We may not agree on everything, but this we do. You put that down now. Go on." Shane said sternly. Daryl hesitated before tossing the pickaxe on the ground and stalking away to pack up his camp.

Piper watched as Rick led Jim into the RV. She saw that the others were finished packing up their camps, so she carried Bailey back to theirs and started packing up their belongings.

Piper heard growling and poked her head out of the tent. Amy was craning her neck up towards Andrea's face, growling and groaning as she was turning. Andrea whispered something softly in her ear before putting the pistol to her head and pulling the trigger. Piper felt a few tears roll down her cheek as she watched Andrea brush the hair out of Amy's face and softly place a hand on her cheek. Piper decided to let Andrea have a moment of peace with her sister and leaned back into her tent.

"Momma…where we going?" Bailey asked softly as she put her few belongings in her little backpack, leaving her stuffed wolf out to hold onto. Piper was throwing clothes and other little necessities into the bags before leading the little girl out so she could take down the tent.

"We have to find somewhere safer baby. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." Piper told the little girl with a smile. Bailey nodded her head and sat down patiently while Piper took down the tent.

After their camp was all torn down, Piper carried the tent to Daryl's truck, tossing it and all their bags into the bed. She turned and saw Daryl at the driver's side door, Bailey at his heels as she pestered him with random questions.

"You mind a little company?" Piper asked with a smirk. Daryl scoffed and shrugged before gently shooing Bailey towards Piper and climbed into the truck to wait for the rest of the group. Piper saw that the others were gathered together, so she made her way over with Bailey in tow to see what was going on.

"We're not going." Morales told Rick.

"Are you sure? On your own you have no backup." Rick tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't have it.

"We have family out there. We need to be with our people." His wife said sadly. Sophia and Carl were saying goodbye to their two children. Bailey walked up to the little girl and boy and hugged their waists softly, which they returned, tears in all the children's eyes.

Rick handed Morales a pistol and a box half full of ammo.

"This should help. Be careful out there." He told the family sincerely. Everybody said their goodbyes and the group made their way into the vehicles.

Piper picked Bailey up and settled her on her hip as she walked over to Daryl's pickup truck. She crossed over to the passenger side and opened the door, lifting Bailey into the middle seat and climbing in next to her. After she shut the door, she buckled Bailey's seatbelt as well as her own.

Daryl watched as she did this and chuckled quietly. "What's so funny?" Piper asked curiously.

"You really think those are necessary? Not many people on the roads nowadays."

Piper scoffed and set him with a mock-glare. "Daryl Dixon! There is no way Bailey is riding in a car without a seatbelt! Who knows what could jump out in front of you and cause an accident?" Bailey giggled at Piper's dramatic scene while Daryl smirked and shook his head at her.

Eventually, Bailey nodded off and Daryl and Piper sat in peaceful silence.

Daryl looked over at Piper for a moment before he cleared his throat softly. She turned and looked at him inquisitively. "Sorry. About your mom." He said quietly. Piper stiffened, but forced herself to relax.

"Thanks." She said coolly. She sighed and turned to face him. "I'm sorry. It's just…not something I can talk about right now." Daryl nodded and turned back to focus on his driving.

Suddenly Piper heard a loud 'pop' and the RV pulled over to the side of the road. "What in the world?" She said quietly, not wanting to wake Bailey. Daryl shrugged his shoulders and pulled over. They both got out of the truck and quietly shut the doors behind them.

As they were walking up, Jacqui was walking out of the RV. "It's Jim guys, he's bad…" She said sadly. Rick slowly made his way into the RV to check on him and Daryl and Piper walked up to Shane and the others.

"I'm gonna take the jeep up ahead, see what I can find for gas and supplies." Shane said as he looked through a pair of binoculars. T-Dog walked up to him with a mostly empty duffel bag and his pistol.

"I'll go with you. Back you up." Shane nodded and the pair headed off for the gas station. Dale and Glenn were under the hood of the RV while the women and children stood close together.

Piper walked up to Carol and sent her a small smile, which the frail woman returned. "Hey Carol, how're you and Sophia holding up?" She knew the pair would be better off since Ed was gone, but it could still be hard to lose such a big constant in your life.

"We're getting' by. We'll be just fine." She said as she smiled down at her daughter, running a soothing hand through her hair. Sophia smiled up at her and wrapped her arms around Carol in a tight hug. Piper felt a twinge of sadness for her deceased mother, but couldn't help but smile at the two.

Shane and T-Dog returned after a little while, bringing a half gallon of gas and a new pipe for the RV, as well as a few snacks from the convenience store they found. Rick walked out of the RV as they were passing around the findings.

"Jim ain't gonna make it. Wants us to leave him here." Rick looked deeply disturbed and his look was mirrored by many others.

"I don't know if I can be okay with that man…" Shane said hesitantly. Dale approached them, wiping his oily hands on a rag.

"This is what I was talking about before Rick. I couldn't callously kill a man, but we should take into consideration what he wants."

"I don't know about that…we're so close to the CDC." Rick rubbed the back of his neck anxiously as he thought about it.

"It's not your decision. Any of you. If that's what Jim wants, then that's up to him." Lori said strongly. She was sad for the man, but if that was how he wanted to go then he should at least be able to decide that.

Piper nodded in agreement. "If that's what he really wants then we should let him. I know it sounds horrible, but in this world where so many decisions are made for us because of those damn walkers then I think he should be able to decide how he finishes off his life in this hell." She stated sadly. The others were silent for a moment in consideration before Rick gestured for Shane to help him get Jim out of the RV.

They helped Jim walk to a large tree off the road a ways, resting him against the trunk. Jim let out a heavy breath as he sat there. Beads of sweat poured down his ghostly pale face and his expression was resigned.

"Do you want this?" Rick asked as he held a small pistol out to the man. Jim shook his head.

"No. You're gonna need it. I'll be alright." Jim sent them a weak smile. Each member of the group said their goodbyes before getting back in their vehicles and driving away. Piper climbed into the truck with Daryl and unbuckled Bailey, pulling her up into her lap and holding her tight. Daryl noticed, but said nothing as he followed the rest of the caravan.

A couple hours later, the group finally reached the CDC. Dead bodies littered the grounds surrounding it and Piper was filled with a feeling of dread. Slowly, everyone left the vehicles and huddled together as they quietly stalked forward toward the doors. Piper was clutching Bailey to her chest, with the little girl's arms and legs wrapped around her neck and waist respectively.

Piper walked between Shane and Daryl, feeling safest between the two men. Rick approached the door and tried pulling on the heavy metal shutters that blocked their way inside. After several minutes of poking and prodding, people started to give up hope, and panic started to take over.

Walkers began approaching at the sounds of the desperate yelling of the group. The children began crying while the adults scrambled and panicked.

"We need to get out of here! We can still make it to Fort Benning, Rick!" Shane said anxiously.

"On what? No food, no fuel. That's a hundred miles!" Andrea argued.

"Hundred twenty-five. I checked the map." Glenn said nervously. Piper clung to Bailey and watched nervously as Shane tried to drag Rick back towards the vehicles.

"It moved! The camera, it moved." Rick exclaimed and pointed up towards a motion camera.

"It's automatic, just dying out. Come on man, we gotta move." Shane reasoned as he continued pulling Rick away.

Everyone was slowly moving towards the vehicles, taking down walkers on the way while Rick screamed at the doors. When he finally started to turn and run, Piper heard a loud creaking sound and turned around.

The metal shutters were lifting slowly and a blinding white light exploded from behind them. Hope shined in each person's eyes as they turned towards what they hoped would be their salvation.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone! Sorry about the long wait, but I finally have Chapter 11 ready :) Please leave me reviews! I haven't gotten any for quite a while, and it makes it hard to have motivation to write if I don't know if anyone is reading it! I hope you guys like the chapter! :)**

**Disclaimer~I do not own TWD or any of its characters, I only own my OC's**

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All the survivors rushed inside the large, thick metal shutters, pushing and pulling each other into the safety of the building. Once everyone was in, Shane and Rick pulled down the shutters and rushed up to the rest of the group.

"Watch out for walkers!" Shane yelled as he paced around the group.

"Hello! Anyone there?" Rick called out loudly.

"What do you want?" A loud voice replied. Everyone's head whipped around at the sound of the voice, seeing a large man in a white lab coat holding up a large gun.

"A chance." Rick pleaded. The man took in the group's appearance, noticing the small children and sighed.

"That's asking an awful lot these days." He muttered.

Rick nodded. "I know. Please?" He begged.

"You'll all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." The man said sternly. Again, Rick nodded in agreement.

"We can do that."

The man lowered his gun. "You have anything out there you need, you get it now. Once these doors close, they won't open again." Daryl, Shane, Rick and T-Dog ran out to the cars, pulling out all the bags they could hold and rushed back inside. "Vi, seal the exits. Cut the power up here."

Once they were all gathered together and introduced, the man led them to a large elevator where they squeezed in. Piper was still clutching a visibly shaken Bailey and stood beside Carl and in front of Daryl.

The silence was tangible and awkward on the long ride in the elevator. Daryl eyed the large gun in Jenner's hand. "You doc's always packin' heat like that?"

Jenner looked down at his weapon and smirked. "It was laying around. I familiarized myself. But you lot seem harmless." He then looked down at Carl. "Except you, I'll have to keep an eye on you." Carl smiled shyly and Jenner chuckled.

They got off the elevator and walked down a narrow hallway. "Are we underground?" Carol asked as she held Sophia close to her side.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Jenner turned to ask her. "A little." She replied.

"Try not to think about it." Jenner told her with an apologetic smile. He continued to lead the group into a large room that was filled with computers lining multiple small cubicles.

Empty cubicles. There wasn't a single other soul in the building, making the group nervous and anxious.

"Where is everybody?" Rick asked nervously.

"I'm it. I'm the only one left." Jenner said sadly.

"But what about all the doctors…and scientists?" Rick continued desperately.

Jenner shook his head. "I'm the last one. The others either left, or opted out."

"But what about that person you were talking to earlier? Vi?" Lori asked hopefully. Jenner gave her a sad look.

"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them welcome." A computerized voice echoed throughout the room.

"Hello guests. Welcome." Jenner smiled sadly at the group. "I'm all that's left." Nobody said anything else as they were led into a smaller room, which contained a patient chair and a counter with some medical supplies and equipment littered across the top.

"Okay, who's up first?" Jenner asked the group. Nobody spoke up, still unsure about the lone man left in the CDC. Piper let out a sigh and stood, holding Bailey and walked up to him.

"We'll go first." Bailey whimpered at the sight of the needle. "It's okay baby, it's just a tiny prick. You won't even feel it!" Piper said enthusiastically. The little girl was not convinced and continued to squirm and whine.

"Hey, you're name is Bailey, right?" Jenner asked. Bailey looked up at him shyly and nodded her head.

"Well Bailey, what's your favorite color?" While she was thinking, Jenner gently wiped the crease of her arm with an alcohol swab.

"Pink!" Bailey finally answered cheerfully.

"Ahh, that's a great color for a little girl! Now, what's your favorite animal?" He poked her arm with the needle as she thought. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't feel him stick her with the needle.

"Wolfies!" She cried out happily. Jenner put a band-aide on her arm and patted her shoulder gently.

"That's a good favorite animal! And guess what?" He crouched down to her eye level. She sent him a confused look. "You're all done!" She looked down at her arm and gasped, causing the rest of the group to laugh.

"Momma, momma! You was wite! I didn't feel anyfing!" Piper chuckled as she ruffled Bailey's hair affectionately.

"I told you so sweetie! Now it's my turn…" She finished much less enthusiastically. She was terrified of needles, but couldn't show her fear in front of the impressionable little girl, so she put on a brave face and managed to hide her shaking from Bailey, even if the others still saw it.

Daryl walked up to her and bumped his shoulder with hers. "Whats the matter? 'Fraid of a little needle?" He joked with a small smirk.

"Shut up, Daryl." Piper snapped as she felt Jenner prick her arm with the needle. She gasped quietly and the shaking became more apparent. Daryl chuckled a little before once again nudging her.

"What, Daryl?" She asked anxiously. She looked up at him and he smirked.

"Didn't know a lil' girl would be braver than you." Piper snorted at this and she felt the fear gently releasing its cold grip on her heart.

"All done." Jenner said with a kind smile. Piper smiled back and hopped out of the chair, allowing Daryl to take her place. She lifted a sleepy Bailey into her arms and walked up to stand next to Shane.

"Not so bad, was it?" Shane grinned at her as she huffed.

"Of course not." Shane chuckled at her response and patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. And the rest of the group." Piper groaned and shoved him with her hip. He laughed briefly until it was his turn to get his blood drawn.

Each person went up to the chair and had their blood drawn. Last to go was Andrea. After she was done, she stood to rejoin the group, only to stumble suddenly. Jacqui caught her and saw Jenner's concerned look.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have." Jacqui answered quietly.

Jenner looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I can fix that."


End file.
